Staying the course even when life brings you down...

Shanel0916

Does anyone have any advice on how to keep up with your health and fitness goals despite what else my be happening in your life?

Over the past 6 months I have had drama happening all around, I don't want to go into to much detail but lets just say me and my brother are on bad terms to the point that I had to get a injunction against him. Also, my mother's health is getting worse, she has had Multiple Sclerosis since 2003 and has been bed ridden since 2006. She has already been in the hospital 3xs this year alone, twice with sepsis.

I had been maintaining my 25lb weightloss (from 2015) pretty well up until now, which I never totally reached my goal but made major difference with the 25lbs loss. I have gained about 8-10lbs (weigh fluctuates) since July 2017. I feel as if I am headed back to where I was, but I know in my heart of hearts that is not what I want. I used to go to the gym at least 3xs a week if not more. I would lift weights and do cardio to maintain. Any advice or tips on how to cope with everything and continue on my journey would be greatly appreciated.


Sidenote: sorry for any grammatical errors

Idontcareyoupick

With all of the drama, you have to make time for you and do what makes you feel happy or else you'll spiral and feel terrible. That could be the gym, going for a walk, spending time cooking healthy recipes. Whatever coping skill you can use that also makes you feel great will be a win and help you be more mentally prepared to deal with everything going on. Good luck!

kommodevaran

Eating well and exercising should make you better armed to handle life's unexpected struggles, not add struggle to it.

CaffeinatedConfectionist

tl;dr: It all comes down to knowing yourself. Figure out your fundamentals. What are the one or two things you can do every day thay help you maintain a healthy routine?



Honestly, I thought I was able to do this well, that I was resilient enough to handle life's drama without letting go of my health and self-care. But last year I moved halfway across the country to a new area and a new job that I dislike, and I lost a ton of my healthy coping tools along the way - I no longer had access to krav maga classes, roller derby, my treadmill and elliptical that I kept in house, my set of weights, my kickboxing stand, a job where I got to go to circuit training classes at the YMCA a few times a week... And that's just the fitness things, not to mention moving away from my family and friends.

It sucked. I got pretty depressed and my anxiety started getting out of control, I had trouble sleeping, I'd feel panicked in the mornings before work. I drank too much and I ate like I was still as active as I had been. I still worked out sporadically but not with any great consistency.

I hit what I consider to be "rock bottom" in November after my parents had to cancel their Thanksgiving visit, because I was so disappointed and depressed. Oddly, what turned me around was buying a cheap elliptical on Amazon. It turns out - and I should have known this from all the years I'd been on MFP already - that having access to in-home cardio is what I need to stay on track. Just by spending that $85 my quality of life has improved enormously. I'm less depressed, less anxious, sleeping better, and I have my self-respect back.

To make a long story short (too late!), my advice would be to identify what are the cornerstones to your wellness. What do you need to do in order to stay well, mentally and physically? For me, the fundamental tool that I needed was something allowing to do cardio at home where I could chill out and watch tv and I had no excuse not to do it. Regular lifting, better eating, and reining in the high-functioning alcoholism soon followed, and I've lost about half of what I regained over the past year.

For you, your cornerstone(s) is probably something entirely different. Consider looking into a WRAP plan - at least the beginning sections of "wellness toolbox," "daily maintenance," "triggers," and "when things are breakin down." It's a technique used to help people learn to identify what they are like when they are well, what things they need to do to stay well, how to identify in advance situations that might derail you, and what steps to take when you do start to get off track. It helps develop more insight and self-awareness about how and why we get off track. It's a really useful method for learning how to intervene with yourself before you do hit "rock bottom." http://mentalhealthrecovery.com/wrap-is/